I was first diagnosed with ADHD in the 1970's, before it was called ADHD. I was on Ritalin for awhile. In my teenage years I was not treated for ADHD and ended up doing poorly in school. I was however, diagnosed with depression, which I still have. I was on and off antidepressents for years, and finally got back on ADHD meds when I entered grad school. Adderall worked great for my studies, but even then I had terrible side effects. I went off it after grad school.

Fast forward 10 years-I am 40 and have 3 young children. My depression still lingers, and now anxiety has complicated things further. I work part-time, and I was losing focus at work, so I thought I would try going back on Adderall. I have been on it for 4 months and I can't deal with it anymore. I take a lot: 90 mg a day IR, plus dex at night which is optional. (I should note I am on the heavy side so that is possibly why my dose is high.) I am having the side effects from before and then some. The worst part is at night I feel horrible, edgy and anxious and tearful, and I can't sleep. I take Ambien for sleep (took it before I started Adderall) and that helps, but now I have to take Xanax 1 mg plus 2-3 glasses of wine. I have never been much of a drinker, and now I drink every night. I can't do this anymore because I know I will ruin my health. I'm not an alcoholic but I feel I will be if I keep doing this! The Xanax and Ambien on their own don't seem to calm me down enough to relax and sleep. I would like to wean off the Adderall, and eventually off the other meds, except for Wellbutrin.

The problem is, the Adderall is working well for my focus at work and home. If there were only a "magic pill" I could take when I am ready to wind down for the night that would be great, LOL. Any advice? My psychiatrist is really pro-Adderall, and he thinks I will get used to it and the side effects will get better, but they haven't yet unfortunately.

Last edited by blacksheep70; 12-05-2010 at 04:07 AM.

The following user gives a hug of support to blacksheep70:allie1900 (01-01-2011)

I would try decreasing your dose. It sounds like you are having too many side effects at that high of a dose. I don't think dose has much to do with weight as I am heavy and take 20mg am 15 noon. With a lower dose you man not focus as well but it will be better than nothing.

The adderall isn't making you drink, you are self medicating the anxiety side effects with alcohol- that's not good. You need to decrease the anxiety a different way. Talk to your doc about the sleeplessness and incredible anxiety. (I wouldn't mention the alcohol or you may never get the Xanax anymore)

It sounds like your dose is WAY too high, even if you are a bit heavy. All of my ADD symptoms come back when I take too much adderall, and so I have to drop the dose back until I find one that keeps me focused without the side effects....

Thanks, I was thinking my dose was pretty high. I tried 20 mg (x 3, so 60 mg a day) the other day and I felt better, but still had the horrible anxiety in the evening. I have been off the meds for a couple of days now and feel much less anxious, but work yesterday was really hard. I guess I will talk to my doc about adjustments.

I take Vyvanse vs Adderall XR. Adderall worked wonders in the begining but had it's down side too..
Comparing Vyvanse vs Adderall is made slightly harder because both drugs are amphetamines. If you take either, youíre getting pretty much the same thing.

That said, there are some important differences.

1) Vyvanse is 100% d-amphetamine, while Adderall XR is a mix of 4 different d and l-amphetamines.

This mix in Adderall may make it more effective, stronger. But it might cause more anxiety or physical side effects. See later for discussion of the differences between the amphetamine types.

The next big difference is that:

2) Vyvanse is released via digestion, while Adderall is released by bead technology.

The digestion release may make Vyvanse smoother, last longer, and have less variability. What you eat might not effect it so much, while Adderall XR may be more effected by, say, having a cup of orange juice.

Advantages of Vyvanse

Vyvanse has been shown to have effect for a very long time, up to 14 hours in some studies. While realistically that duration of effect may not happen, it works fairly well for fairly long.

This is likely because its release mechanism is typically smooth, meaning less variability.

Finally, Vyvanse is pure d-amphetamine, which may mean less of certain side effects compared to the l and d-amphetamine of Adderall.

Disadvantages of Vyvanse
Vyvanse is basically nothing more than extended release Dexedrine. And while it seems to have fewer side effects relating to anxiety and release, it may cause more side effects like reduced appetite. --My appetite has not changed--

Because Vyvanse is so new, it may be significantly more expensive than other options or not covered by insurance, especially since both Dexedrine and Adderall are available in generic form.

Finally, some users feel that itís not as strong as Adderall, and that it stops working earlier than advertised. --I enjoy my 5 hrs of sleep and don't mind if it doesn't last the full 14 hrs--

l versus d amphetamine
Remember that Vyvanse is pure d-amphetamine, while Adderall is a mix of d- and l-forms.

The d form may be more effective at reducing impulsiveness and overactivity. The l form, on the other hand, may increase concentration better, but it may also cause more anxiety. It is also per molecule less effective than the d form, but such a distinction is perhaps irrelevant.

The d form may effect more dopamine, as opposed to both noradrenaline and dopamine in the l form. This theory, however, is not established. Noradrenaline is involved in anxiety responses, which may explain why Adderall XR seems to be worse for anxiety.

Hope this helps! I have been on Vyvanse for over 2 yrs and am lovin' it!

Word of caution from my own experience. It may just be adderal that makes you drink right now, but if you continue doing that you're essentially drinking as much as or as habitually as an "alcoholic". What i mean is you are hurting your body the same. The other thing is that if the longer a person (I know from exp) keeps going everyday drinking the harder it is to quit because your body will get physically accustomed.

I am not a doctor but I know what adderal alcohol combination is like. For me it became hard to have one without the other. Alcohol never really interested me before adderall, I would get drunk quickly (off a glass or two of wine) and stop, didn't crave more. Then when I started stimulant meds I could drink twice as much and not feel drunk. It took away the anxiety and panic of adderal (and before that ritalin).

Anyway it changed something in my perception, that combination, and eventually I realized adderal wasn't going to work for me. I wasn't able to taper doses down...craving kicked in and I would drink and take more pills etc. Im telling part of my story not to say yours is just like mine but to say please be careful. If it escalates, drinking or tolerance, tell your doctor. And know there are other solutions and/or medications that may be better suited for you and that won't create alcohol craving. Thanks for sharing, and I'm new here so thanks for reading.

Thanks for your reply. It is good to know I am not alone in this reaction and I need to be aware of the issues that could arise. I am also SMOKING again, not a habit I every wanted to return to.

So addyaddict, what meds are you on now?

Quote:

Originally Posted by addyaddict

Word of caution from my own experience. It may just be adderal that makes you drink right now, but if you continue doing that you're essentially drinking as much as or as habitually as an "alcoholic". What i mean is you are hurting your body the same. The other thing is that if the longer a person (I know from exp) keeps going everyday drinking the harder it is to quit because your body will get physically accustomed.

I am not a doctor but I know what adderal alcohol combination is like. For me it became hard to have one without the other. Alcohol never really interested me before adderall, I would get drunk quickly (off a glass or two of wine) and stop, didn't crave more. Then when I started stimulant meds I could drink twice as much and not feel drunk. It took away the anxiety and panic of adderal (and before that ritalin).

Anyway it changed something in my perception, that combination, and eventually I realized adderal wasn't going to work for me. I wasn't able to taper doses down...craving kicked in and I would drink and take more pills etc. Im telling part of my story not to say yours is just like mine but to say please be careful. If it escalates, drinking or tolerance, tell your doctor. And know there are other solutions and/or medications that may be better suited for you and that won't create alcohol craving. Thanks for sharing, and I'm new here so thanks for reading.

Hi I think more folks aught to inform the professionals that adderall can make a permanent movement problem which is involuntary and lasts the rest of their lives. I read somewhere that doctors sometimes prescribe medicine that they would never dare to take themselves!

Thanks, I was thinking my dose was pretty high. I tried 20 mg (x 3, so 60 mg a day) the other day and I felt better, but still had the horrible anxiety in the evening. I have been off the meds for a couple of days now and feel much less anxious, but work yesterday was really hard. I guess I will talk to my doc about adjustments.

I smoked a lot on adderall. Actually when I stopped adderall I quit smoking completely. I guess getting off the drug was so awful I didn't notice I kicked cigarettes. Now if I have one they give me a lot of anxiety. So does caffeinne. Seriously sensitive to all that.

I'm currently taking Lamictal to stabilize mood, after experiencing a lot of on adderal highs and off adderal lows my body didn't know what to do. I also took Sapphris for a little while at night, 5mg, to help with anxiety but I only had that for about a week. I'm only on first month of Lamictal but I already feel some changes. And then I take the sleep med Lunesta at night.